MANAGER Ray Mathias is likely to keep Tyrone Loran at the heart of the Tranmere Rovers midfield.

MANAGER Ray Mathias is likely to keep Tyrone Loran at the heart of the Tranmere Rovers midfield.

But he could lose the services of fellow midfielder Gary Jones for the home game with Peterborough on Saturday.

Jones picked up a knee injury late on in Tranmere's 2-0 defeat at Sheffield Wednesday last Saturday and is a doubtful starter for the weekend.

Combative Dutchman Loran (pictured) made his first senior appearance of the season at Hillsborough and finished on the losing side for the first time in 18 Tranmere appearances.

Mathias aims to build up Loran's fitness following a five-week lay-off with a knee ligament injury by giving him a run out in tonight's reserve game against Walsall at Prenton Park (7pm).

Mathias said: "Tyrone needed a game and I was pleased that he got those 75 minutes under his belt at Sheffield Wednesday. He is going to be a lot sharper for it.

"I am going to play him for 45 minutes of the reserve game just to add to his match sharpness. It's important to him."

Mathias recalled Loran to senior action at the earliest opportunity as he seeks to lift Tranmere out of their sluggish start to the Division Two campaign. At Hillsborough, Loran was deployed in the defensive midfield role he occupied so effectively during Tranmere's 15-game unbeaten run at the end of last season.

Mathias said: "I felt we need Tyrone in that role, he is a destroyer. He gets about the opposition. Tyrone can pass and play as well but he is primarily a defensive midfielder and he compliments Gary Jones very well. Gary is good at going forward into the opposition box and getting goals for us."

Mickey Mellon, the midfielder who lost his first-team spot to Loran, received some sympathy and encouragement from the Rovers manager.

Mathias said: "Mickey is a little bit unfortunate in terms of the fact that he is not a defensive midfielder. He is a play-maker. Both he and Alan Navarro showed their value when they came on in the second half on Saturday. They kept the ball well."

Tranmere cannot be sure whether Shane Nicholson will be fit to face the Posh at Prenton Park. The experienced midfielder missed the Sheffield Wednesday game with a troublesome toe injury.

"He got a knock on the toe in training last Monday and it was very sore the following day. It eased on Wednesday, but he could not walk on Thursday. Shane came back this week and said a lot of the pain has gone and we just hope he is going to be okay by the weekend."